It doesn't take long in Kyoto to realise why it is one of the most interesting and beguiling cities in Japan (and therefore possibly the world). Unlike many cities in Japan where the modern urban environment dominates, Kyoto retains relatively low-rise narrow streets, studded with more temples and shrines than you could visit in a year, and endless cool cafes, bars and restaurants. One major downside is of course its popularity, the famous Higashiyama district was completely unbearable, the Pontocho Alley completely missable, and it was seemingly impossible to escape the ubiquitous coach tours. But if you dig a little deeper there are some places the tour groups stay away from and we often had them almost to ourselves. That said, don't miss the main sites, just go early in the morning and avoid the post-lunch rush as the Chinese tourists tend to get up late and have a big lunch. There are actually seventeen Unesco World Heritage sites here, not that we could ever manage to see them all. It was genuinely difficult to decide which temples to visit as the descriptions all sound so similar. Our advice would be to pick three a day, more than enough! On a side note, Japan does not do breakfast. We have wasted many hours wandering around looking for a cute little spot for a bite to eat in the morning. These mornings often lead to a coffee deprived and grumpy Rob and a hangry Charlotte. Not the best of combinations. We have started to buy milk and granola in 7-11 and abandoned the breakfast quest. Our first temple stop was Shoren-in as it was a guidebook top pick, mainly because many miss it out in favour of its grander neighbours. It was empty and the lack of tourists made it most enjoyable! Next up was Chion-in, unmissable as it has a seriously impressive and massive temple gate, allegedly the largest in Japan, but sadly the temple itself was closed for refurbishment. Although we did manage to see the seventy tonne bell, also allegedly the largest in Japan.
Yasaka-jinja shrine was also totally missable, crowds of tourists looking at rows of lanterns and not much else. I guess the park it is in during summer may be quite attractive but sadly it was all under construction again so the 'quaint' rock pools, stepping stones through streams and little bridges were replaced with diggers and mud. We found a very fun spot for a drink in the evening - Forum Kyoto, we pretty much stumbled across it and Rob recognised the exterior from a blog he'd seen ages ago (clever boy) - it's eight floors featuring a coffee shop, cafe, bar, art spaces and a restaurant, each achingly cool in that minimalist chic Japanese way. Comments are closed.
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AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |